JPS623388A - Optical character reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To always set a sheet to be read in the proper feeding/setting direction by displaying previously said proper sheet feeding/setting direction based on format control information corresponding to the sheet. CONSTITUTION:A control part 15 controls the sheet feeding/setting direction according to the format control information on the sheet designated previously by an operator. At the same time, the part 15 displays said controlled direction on a display device 20. The sheet carried in the prescribed direction is scanned and a character pattern on the sheet is stored in a sheet buffer memory 12. Then a detecting/segmenting part 13 calculates the position and the direction of a character row based on the format control information given from the part 15. Thus the character pattern is detected and segmented for each character. This detected and segmented character pattern is recognized by a character recognizing part 14.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an optical character reading device for reading characters on a sheet.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems] Conventionally, in optical character reading devices (OCR), the reading power of the form (hereinafter referred to as sheet) that is the object of reading is limited.
The relationship between the □ direction and the character lines recorded on the sheet is fixed. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 3(a), with respect to a character line recorded on the sheet 10, ゛.

Sheet 10 has a photoelectric conversion circuit in the right angle direction (arrow 80).
It is conveyed to a scanning section equipped with a sheet 10.The scanning section reads the recorded characters on the sheet 10 by scanning along the character rows on the sheet 10. A sheet that is long in the character line direction as shown in Figure 3 (a) is called a horizontally long sheet;
) A short sheet vertically in the character line direction 1. ′
It is called a long sheet.
・.

By the way, if the conveying and setting direction of the sheet, which is determined by the relationship between the reading direction and the character lines, is fixed, the following problems arise. That is, for example, when a horizontally long sheet □ is conveyed to the scanning section, depending on the paper quality of the sheet, sheet skinny (skew) or paper jam (paper jam) is likely to occur. In addition, if the reading range of the scanning unit (or the width of the sheet conveyance path) is narrow, the size (width) of the sheet that can be read
restrictions will become stricter.

For this reason, in recent years, in OCR in which the transport set direction as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and (b) is the standard, as shown in FIG.
As shown in a), a system has been developed that allows reading processing even in the case of a conveyance set direction parallel to the character line. In this method, the sheet I conveyed in the direction of the arrow 50
When O is scanned by the scanning section, a character pattern for one line is stored in a pattern memory 51 as shown in FIG. 5(b). A character pattern for each character is detected and cut out from this pattern memory 51 in a state rotated by 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 5(c). The detected cutout character pattern is recognized by the recognition unit. The recognition results for the entire sheet 10 are output after being edited like the original sheet.

Although this method can eliminate the fixation of the sheet 10 in the conveying and setting direction, the conveying and setting direction can be set in advance by OC.
It is determined by format control information stored in the R control unit. Therefore, the operator selects sheet 10 according to the format control information.
It is necessary to set it in the appropriate conveyance set direction. However, there is a problem in that the operator's judgment alone increases the possibility of setting the transport setting direction incorrectly.

[Object of the Invention] An object of the present invention is to properly adjust the conveying and setting direction of the sheet according to format control information necessary for the reading process in a system that can change the conveying and setting direction of the sheet to be read. Allows you to set
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical character reading device that can realize reliable reading processing.

[Summary of the Invention] According to the present invention, an optical character reading device includes an instruction means for instructing a conveying and setting direction when a sheet is scanned based on format control information. The sheet transported in a predetermined transport set direction is scanned, and then
The character pattern on the sheet is stored in memory means having a storage capacity for one sheet. The inspection means is configured to read out a character pattern for each character from the memory means based on the format control information.

With such a configuration, it is possible to automatically determine the conveying and setting direction of the sheet, and to instruct the operator on the appropriate sheet conveying and setting direction accordingly. Therefore, even when changing the sheet conveying and setting direction,
It becomes possible to perform the reading process reliably.

[Embodiment of the Invention] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1st
The figure is a block diagram showing the configuration of an optical character reading device according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, the scanner 11 is
Equipped with a photoelectric conversion circuit, it scans the sheet to be read and converts the recorded characters into a character pattern (photoelectric conversion pattern).
It is a scanning unit that converts A sheet buffer memory (hereinafter referred to as a sheet buffer) 12 is a buffer memory that stores character patterns output from the scanner 11 for one sheet. The detection cutout section 13 is a circuit that detects and cuts out a character pattern for each character from the sheet buffer 12 based on format control information output from the control section 15. The character recognition unit 14 executes recognition processing of the character pattern output from the detection and extraction unit 13 and outputs the recognition result to the control unit 15. The control section 15 is a circuit that controls the operation of the entire apparatus, and edits the recognition results from the character recognition section 14 and outputs the edited results to the outside.

Furthermore, the control unit 15 determines the conveying and setting direction of the sheet based on format control information stored in advance, and controls display on the display panel 20 of the display device shown in FIG. 2 according to the determination result. Display panel 20
are provided with indicators 21 and 22 for instructing the transport setting direction determined by the control section 15.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. First, an operator manually inputs the type of sheet to be read to the control unit 15 through an input device such as a keyboard. The control unit 15 reads format control information corresponding to the sheet designated by the operator from an external storage device or the like and loads it into the built-in memory.

Here, the control unit 15 instructs the operator about the state of the conveying and setting direction of the sheet by selectively lighting up the indicators 21 and 22 of the display panel 20 of the display device as shown in FIG. That is, the control unit 15 lights up the display 21 of the display panel 20, for example, and instructs the conveyance set direction in which the vertically long sheet is conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the character lines, as shown in FIG. do. In addition, display panel 2
0 indicator 22 is turned on to instruct the conveyance set direction in which the horizontally long sheet is conveyed in a direction parallel to the character lines, as shown in FIG.

The operator sets the conveying and setting direction of the sheet according to instructions on the display panel 20. For example, if the format control information is such that priority is given to the stability of the sheet conveyance operation, the operator would change the conveyance set direction so that the sheet 10 is conveyed in the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. 3(b). You will have to set it. If priority is given to the processing speed (conveyance speed), the sheet conveyance setting direction is set so that the conveyance distance is shortened, as shown in FIG. 3(a). When the conveyance setting direction of the sheet is set, the sheet is conveyed to the scanning position of the scanner 11 and scanned by the scanner 11.
It's true. Characters on the sheet read by the scanner 11
, , '□ patterns are stored in the sheet buffer 12.

When the character patterns for one sheet are stored in the sheet buffer 12, the detection cutout unit 13 calculates the position and direction of the character line based on the format control information given from the control unit 15, and separates the sheet from the sheet. 12, character pattern detection and extraction processing for each character is performed. That is, if the sheet is conveyed and set in the direction shown in FIG. 3(a), the detection cutting section 13 moves the sheet buffer 12 in the direction shown in FIG.
The inside is scanned to detect and cut out character patterns for each character. Furthermore, if the sheet is conveyed in the conveying and setting direction as shown in FIG.
The interior of the sheet buffer 12 is scanned in the direction as shown in FIG. 3(b) to perform character pattern detection and cutting processing for each character. Here, the X direction is the main scanning direction, and the Y direction is the sub-scanning direction. That is, even if the character pattern stored in the sheet buffer 12 is oriented horizontally or vertically depending on the direction in which the sheet is conveyed and set, the detection cutout section 13 changes the access direction of the sheet buffer 12 so that it always remains constant. Detects and cuts out character patterns in the direction.

The character pattern detected and cut out by the detection cutout section 13 is recognized by the character recognition section 14. This recognition result is edited by the control unit 15 and then output to the outside.

In this way, the display panel 2o can instruct the appropriate sheet conveyance and setting direction in advance based on the format control information corresponding to the sheet to be read. This allows the operator to always set the sheet in the proper transport and set direction. Therefore, even when changing the conveying and setting direction according to the characteristics of the sheet, the character pattern detection and cutting process can be reliably performed, and the character recognition process can be performed stably.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, the □OCH of a method that can change the conveying and setting direction of the sheet to be read.
In this case, it is possible to instruct an appropriate sheet conveying and setting direction according to the format control information. Therefore, even if the conveying and setting direction is changed depending on the characteristics of the sheet, it is possible to always perform the reading process reliably.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an optical character reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display panel 20 of the same embodiment, and FIGS. ) and the fourth
Figures (a) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the same embodiment, respectively, and Figures 5 (a) to (c) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the conventional O
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of CR. ~ 10... sheet, ll... scanner, 12... sheet buffer, 13... detection cutting section, 14... character recognition section, 15... control section. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1 Prisoner 2 (a) (b) (a) (b) Figure 4 (a)
,Figure 5.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A scanning means for scanning a sheet on which characters are recorded and outputting a character pattern, a memory means for storing one sheet's worth of character patterns obtained from this scanning means, and a preset reading format for the sheet. a detection means for reading out a character pattern for each character from the memory means by changing the access direction to the memory means vertically or horizontally based on control information; and a character pattern detected and cut out by the verification means. and an instruction means for instructing the conveying and setting direction of the sheet based on the format control information when the sheet is scanned by the scanning means. Device.